Special valve arrangement on centrifugal condensers and coolers



Aug. 25, 1953 P. GOLDMANN SPECIAL VALVE ARRANGEMENT ON CENTRIFUGAL CONDENSERS AND COOLERS Filed March 18, 1949 INVENTOR. fZZ/ M Patented Aug. 25, 1953 SPECIAL VALVE ARRANGEMENT ON CEN- TRIFUGAL CONDENSER-S AND COOLERS Philipp Goldmann, Forest Hills, N. Y., assignor to Carrier Corporation, Syracuse, N. Y.,a corporation of Delaware Application March 18, 1949, Serial No. 82,232

4 Claims. (01. 62-115) This invention relates to a centrifugal refrigeration machine employed as a heat pump and more particularly to an improved arrangement of the machine whereby under some conditions the machine may be employed for water heating and water chilling duty while under other conditions the machine may be employed for water chilling only.

The chief object of the present invention is to provide a centrifugal refrigeration machine including an improved heat exchanger which permits the machine to be employed as a heat pump under some conditions of use while under other conditions the machine may be employed for normal water chilling duty only.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved heat exchanger which is so arranged as to permit condensing water to make a plurality of passes therethrough under some conditions while under other conditions the condensing water makes only a single pass through the heat exchanger.

A further object is to provide a condenser arrangement in which longitudinally extending tubes are arranged to permit medium to pass a plurality of times through the condenser in heat exchange relation with fluid therein and means are provided to vary the direction of flow through the tube of a portion of the medium to decrease the period of time the medium is in heat exchange relation with fluid in the condenser.

Other objects of my invention will be readily per- I receiving medium from a source of supply arid for passing the medium to a discharge line after its passage through the shell. These tubes are so disposed and arranged as to pass the medium a plurality of times through the condenser shell in heat exchange relation with fluid therein. Means are provided for varying the direction of flowthrough the tubes of a portion of the medium to decrease the period of time the medium is in heat exchange relation with fluid in the shell under some conditions of use.

The attached drawing illustrates a preferred embodiment of my invention, in which Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of a centrifugal refrigeration machinev including the present invention; and

Figure 2 is a sectional view of the condenser of a centrifugal refrigeration machine.

Referring to the attached drawing, there is shown a centrifugal refrigeration machine for chilling water in a cooler, the chilled water being forwarded to a place of use. The machine comprises a centrifugal compressor 2, a condenser 3 and a cooler 'or evaporator 4 disposed in a closed circuit. Refrigerant vapor is compressed by compressor 2 and supplied to condenser 3 through pipe 5. In condenser 3, the hot gaseous refrigerant is disposed in heat exchange relation with cooling medium passing through the tubes of the condenser and is condensed.

The condensed refrigerant is supplied from condenser 3 through line 6 and float boxes I and 8 to cooler 4. Water to be chilled passes through the tubes 9 of cooler 4. Such water is in heat exchange relation with liquid refrigerant in cooler 4 and is cooled by such refrigerant, the refrigerant boiling off, refrigerant vapor being drawn through suction line III to compressor 2; the procedure is. repeated so long as cooling is required.

In Figure 2, I have illustrated in somewhat greater detail the condenser 3 of the machine. Condenser 3 consists of a shell II having end supports I2 and I3 for longitudinally extending tubes I4 disposed within the shell II. Water boxes I5 and IB are disposed at opposite ends of shell II. Bafiies or division plates II are provided in water boxes I 5 and I6 in accordance with a predetermined arrangement for flow of water through the tubes of the condenser. A line I8 connects a suitable source of supply of condenser water with water box IS. A line I9 passes water from box I6 to discharge which may be a drain, a cooling tower or the like.

Each water box I5 and I6 is divided in two compartments in accordance with the predetermined arrangement for flow of condenser water through the tubes I4. As shown, box I5 includes compartments 20 and 2I box I6 includes compartments 22 and 23. Baflles I'I form these compartments in such manner that under normal use condenser water flows from compartment 23 through some of the tubes I4 to compartment 22, then flows through other tubes I4 in the reverse direction to compartment 2I and again passes through some of the tubes I4 to compartment 23 to discharge as indicated by the solid arrows. It will be observed that in the arrangement shown the condenser water makes three passes through the shell of the condenser in heat exchange relation with. refrigerant therein. Under these considerable extent thus permitting the machine to be utilized as a heat pump.

Under other conditions, however, the machine is used solely for chilling water in cooler 4. In such use, it i not desirable that the condenser water make a plurality of passes through tubes of condenser 3. Accordingly I have provided: an arrangement whereby the condense-r Water makes only a single pass through the tubes of the condenser as shown by the dotted arrows. For this purpose a by-pass line 24 is provided connecting line 18 with compartment H of box' f- Aval've 25 either manually or automatically operable is disposed in line 24.

A second by-pass line 26 is provided, connecting, compartment 22 with line IS. A valve 21 similar to valve 25 is placed in line. 2.6.. v When it. is desired to utilize the machine solely for chilling duty valves 25 and 21 are open permitting corrdenser Water to make onlya single pass through the tubes of the condenser. It will be noted. (refer to Figure 2) that such piping and valve ar-- rangements vary the. direction of flow of condensing Water through some of the tubes of condenser 3.

It will be appreciated under still other conditions the baffies H- of boxes l5 and I6 and lines 24 and 28 may be so arranged as to aiiord other arrangements permitting the number of passes of condenser water through the tubes of the condenser to be varied.

The present invention provides a simple and inexpensive arrangement which permits a centrifugal refrigeration machine to be: employed as either a heat pumpor for normal chilling duties only. The arrangement does not involve any substantial expense and: does not require redesign of the machine since itv involves merely minor changes in the water box: battles and the provision of additional pipes and valves for the by-passes. This arrangement is of great advantage in applications such as the. textile industry where large quantities of hot: water. are used... The machine may be used where heating water is required at. some seasons of the. year while chilled water is required at other seasons ofithe. year for air conditioning duty.

While I have described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that my invention is not limited thereto since it may be otherwise embodied within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

I. In a condenser arrangement for a centrifugal refrigeration machine, the combination of a shell, a plurality of longitudinally extending, tubes in the shell through which condenser Water passes, refrigerant from the refrigeration machine passing through the shell exterior of the tubes, compartments at opposite ends of said shell, a supply line for condenser water con-- nected to a chamber in the compartment at one end of the shell, a bypass connecting the. supply line to a second chamber in said compartment, a valve in the bypass, a discharge line connected to a chamber in the second. compartment, a second bypass connecting the discharge linev with a second chamber in the second compartment, and a second valve in said bypass. the opening of the two valves permitting the condenser water to make only a single pass through the shell resulting in the refrigerant being, con-- densed, and the closingv off the two. valves permit-- ting the condenser water to make a. plurality of passes through the shell resulting. in the con:

4 denser water being heated so that it may be used as a source of heat.

2. In a condenser arrangement for a centrifugal refrigeration machine, the combination of a shell, a plurality of longitudinally extending tubes in the shell through which condensing water passes, refrigerant from the refrigeration machine passing through the shell exterior of the tubes, compartments at opposite ends of said shell, a supply line for condensing water connected to a chamber in the compartment at one end of. the shell, a bypass connecting the supply line to a second chamber in said compartmerit; a valve in the bypass, a discharge line conmeet-fedto' a chamber in a second compartment, a secondbypass connecting the discharge line with a second chamber in the second compartment, and a second valve in said bypass whereby when said valves are closed condenser water makes a plurality of passes through the tubes of the shell resulting in the. condenser water being heated so that it may be used as a source of heat while when said valves are open condenser Water makes a single pass only through the tubes of the shell resulting in the refrigerant being condensed, the chambers in the compartments being so arranged that during the plurality of. passes the water fiows from the first chamber of the first compartment tothe first chamber" of the second compartment to the second chamber of the first compartment to the second chamber of the second compartment.

3. In a condenser arrangement for a. centrifugal refrigeration machine, the combination of a shell, water boxes at. each. end of the shell, baffles separating each water box into two compartments, tubes connecting the first compartment of the first water box with the first compartment in the second water box, tubes connecting the first compartment or the second water box with the second compartment in the first water box, tubes connecting the second compartment of the first water box with the second compartment in the second water box,,refrigerant fromthe refrigeration machine passing through the shell exterior of the tubes, condenser Water for passage through the tubes in heat exchange relation with the refrigerant in the shell, a supply line connecting the condenser Water withvthe' first compartment of the first water box, a second lineconnecting the condenser? water with the second compartment. of the first water box,.a valve in said second line, a discharge line for the condenser Water, a fourth line connecting the second compartment of thesecond water box with the discharge-line, a fifth line connecting the first compartment of the second Water box with the discharge line;. and a second valve in said fifth line, said. elements being so arranged and as.- sembled; that condenser water flows from the first compartment of the first water box to the first compartment of the second water box, then to the. second compartment: of the first box, then to.

the second compartment of the second box and from the second box to the discharge line when said valves are closed resulting in the condenser water being heated so that it may be. used as a source of heat while when said valves are open condenser water flows from the first water box to the second water box and then to the discharge line resulting in the refrigerant being condensed.

4. In combination with a centrifugal refrigeration system having a cool'er,, a compressonand'a condenser disposed in a closed circuit, the condenser including longitudinally extending tubes, refrigerant of the refrigeration system passing through the condenser exterior of the tubes, Water boxes at opposite ends of the condenser connected to the tubes, and baffles separating each water box into two compartments, a supply line connected to a first compartment of the first Water box, a bypass line connecting the supply line and the second compartment of the first Water box, a valve in the bypass line, a discharge line connected to the first compartment of the second Water box, a second bypass line connecting the discharge line and the second compartment of the second water box, and a second valve in the second bypass line, closing of the valves permitting condenser water to make a plurality of passes through the tubes resulting in the condenser water being heated so that it may be used as a source of heat while opening of the valves permits condenser Water to make a single pass 6 only through the condenser resulting in refrigerant being condensed.

PHILIPP GOLDMANN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,206,605 Siegel Nov. 28, 1916 1,378,348 Hartwell May 17, 1921 1,535,662 Grace Apr. 28, 1925 1,551,029 Hanson Aug. 25, 1925 1,575,818 Carrier Mar. 9, 1926 1,634,903 Hodgkinson July 5, 1927 1,650,872 Hulsmeyer Nov. 29, 1927 1,989,340 Shepherd Jan. 29, 1935 2,292,259 Zwickel Aug. 4, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 304,645 Italy Jan. 13, 1933 

